1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods for the cell-free production of glucosamine from starch, maltodextrin or glycogen; or from fructose and a source of amino groups.
2. Related Art
Glucosamine is an amino sugar, which is found in many naturally occurring polysaccharides. Glucosamine has found increasing use in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other conditions. Glucosamine has traditionally been produced by the hydrolysis of shellfish exoskeleton (chitin), which is composed of poly(N-acetyl-D-glucosamine). The availability of raw material, however, is becoming increasingly limited. More recently, the production of glucosamine by microbial fermentation has been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,457 discloses fermentation of microorganisms that have been genetically modified in a pathway related to glucosamine or glucosamine-6-phosphate, in order to produce high levels of glucosamine.
There remains a need in the art for a method of producing glucosamine using abundant and inexpensive starting materials.